Bureau of Conveyances investigated
Star-Bulletin
reports
that a joint House-Senate committee has been "charged with investigating the
state Bureau of Conveyances within the Department of Land and Natural
Resources."Allegations that land title information and records were not secure have already led to separate investigations by the attorney general and the Ethics Commission.
The concerns were a main focus in the Senate's confirmation hearings of Peter Young, whose reappointment as DLNR director was ultimately rejected by the chamber.
The
Advertiser
article
says "The bureau, which processes land and title documents, is the subject of
criminal and ethics investigations over possible document tampering and giving
preferential treatment to certain title
companies."I didn't follow the reporting
on this during Young's confirmation hearings, but what I heard was that Title
Guaranty, I believe it was, was given direct access to make changes directly to
bureau records. Title Guarantee has been a part of the systematic removal of
Hawaiians from land titles through other means (i.e. quiet title, adverse
possession), and to have them accessing bureau records directly is a very scary
notion. As one person said to me, "check and make sure you still own your land."
(I don't own any land, so he was speaking rhetorically to me, but you get the
point.)It is worth noting that the
Bureau of Conveyances was created as part of the Hawaiian Kingdom government,
and is the one agency that has been in continuous existence throughout the
occupation under the territory and state.
Posted: Thu - May 24, 2007 at 06:49 AM